Blank feeding and flexing mechanism



l 4 Sheets-Shleef 1` Dec. 3, l1940. A. M. CAMERON l BLANK lFEEIDING AND FPEXING MEGHANISM Filed April 20, 1938 A. M. CAMERON BLANK FEEDING AND FLEXING MEcHANIsM Filed April 20, 1958 f 4 sheets-sheet 2 ,Q m til; um .N w .m bv wm 1. l! ww u u Dern '3; 1940.

Dec. 3, 1940,. A. M. CAMERON BLANK FEEDING AND FLEXING MECHANISM Filed April 20. 1938 `4 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 20, 1938 w W www y www HMH 2,

Patented Dec. 3, 1940 Allan M. Cameron, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Cameron Can Machinery Co., Chicago. Ill., a

corporation of Illinois Application April 20, 19?8, Serial N0. 203,061

12 Claims.

This invention relates in general to mechanism for handling sheet metal blanks of tin plate or the like, and while the principles thereof may be embodied in mechanisms adapted for various uses, the invention is here shown and described for illustrative purposes as embodied in mechanism for feeding and flexing blanks of tin plate such as are customarily employed in the manufacture of tin cans. v The bodies of cans of this type are produced from flat metal blanks by a body maker, which, under modern practice, runs at a speed of three hundred or more per minute. In order to produce perfectly round cans upon such a machine, it is customary preliminarily to treat the blanks so as to render them pliant by breaking the grain of the metal of the blanks as they are fed into the machine. This grain breaking treatment is accomplished by flexing the blanks so as to reduce their stiifness and thereby enable themv to be bent into truly circular form without the production of so-called fiatsJ lfly present invention is concerned with the-feeding of blanks to a body maker and with breaking the metal grain all of the blanks en route to the body maker.

One f the features of my invention resides in the constructlon of the grain breaking mechanism which is so designed that the entering rolls I which'receive the blanks from the magazine are mounted in non-adjustable ilxed position exactly in alignment with the approaching blanks so that failure of a blank to enter between and be grasped by the rolls is obviated, The single rear or delivery roll, however, of my grain breaking mechanism is adjustable so that the extent and direction of curvature, 'if any, of the delivered blank may be controlled'. The grain breaking mechanism also embodies a stop device by which the machine may be instantly stopped in the event that a plurality of blanks should be accidentally fed to the grain breaking mechanism simultaneously.

Another purpose of my invention is to transfer the blanks at high speed from the magazine to the grain breaking mechanism and to so control the 45 blanks during such transfer that they are positively deposited by suction devices Vin alignment with and in close proximity to the entering rolls of the grain breaking mechanism so that only a slight movement of the blanks is necessary to 50 introduce them between the rolls. By carrying the blanks toward the rolls as they are withdrawn from the magazine, the distance required to be subsequentlytraveled 'by the blanks is minimized, and any likelihood of loss of control of the '55 blanks in transit is correspondingly reduced.

Furthermore, the travel of the feed slide by which the blanks are introduced between theI rolls is correspondingly diminished enabling this slide thereby to be operated at high speed with a minimum of wear and vibration.

Another feature of my invention resides in the construction of the' mechanism bywhich the suction cups are operated and controlled and. by which the application of suction thereto is accurately controlled so that the cups will operate with certainty and uniformity, and the application of suction thereto will be made and disrupted in accurate, predetermined timed relation with the travel, and by mechanism which will be subject to a minimum of wear and vibration in l5 use.

Other objects and many of the inherent advantages of myinvention should be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the'accompanying drawings:

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partially in section of a mechanism embodying the principles of my invention;

f- Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1:

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of PIE. 1; l

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end elevation looking toward the right at Fig. l:

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fis. 2:

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line i--O of 35 Fig. l;

Fig. 'I is a fragmentary rear elevation of the mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line I--8 of Fis. l: and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 9--9 of Fig. 1.

When mechanism of the character disclosed is employed in conjunction with a tin can body maker, two mechanisms are customarily used, one being mounted at each side of the blank advancing mechanism of the machine at the front end of such machine. The two mechanisms are so timed that blanks are delivered alternately thereby onto the advancing mechanism of the body maker. Since the mechanisms are duplicates in all essential details, the present disclosure is restricted to one only of such mechanisms., i 0n the drawings, reference character Il indicates generally a fragment of the forward portion 55 of the bed of a body maker along which the blanks are fed by a reciprocatory feed bar I2 to the various/mechanisms for operating thereon. The blanks indicated generally by reference character I3 are delivered from flexing mechanism, to be later described, onto the bed II beneath a holding plate or bar I4 by which the blanks are held under control. Such control is further facilitated by spring pressed plungers I5 projecting into the path of the delivered blanks and frictionally holding the blanks against accidental misplacement.

The mechanism of my invention is carried by a suitable frame structure I8 mounted and suitl5 ably supported, as previouslyindicated, in proximity to the forward end of abody maker. The mechanism comprises a magazine in which the blanks are stacked, which magazine consists of four upright angle-shaped members I1 equipped with the usual holding and control devices indicated vby I8 and having at the bottom supporting ledges I9 upon which the ends of the lowermost blanks in the stack are supported.

'I'he blanks are withdrawn in succession from the bottom of the stack by a plurality of suction devices 2i, here illustrated as being of cup shape and mounted upon hollow posts 22, which, in turn are carried upon a reciprocatory head 23. This head is guided in its reciprocatory movements between inclined guide members 24 by which the suction members are caused to travel in an inclined path. As the suction members are moved downwardly with suction applied thereto, they withdraw with them the lowermost blank in the magazine by bending it downwardly between its ends so as to free the ends from thesupporting ledges i3. The blank attached by suction to the devices. travels downwardly and at the same time to the right viewing Fig.' 1 beneath the inclined 4o guide surface 25 formed on the magazine until it is deposited substantially ln the dotted line position shown in Fig. V1 upon the table 28. The front end of the blank isv thus positioned exactly in alignmentI with and in proximity to the entering rolls of the flexing mechanism which are located in close proximity to the end of the table Reciprocatory movement is, imparted to the head 23 by a link 21 journalled at one end upon a stub shaft 28 projecting from head 2 3 and at its other end upon a crank pin 28 carried by a crank 3G fixed upon a shaft 3I which is journalled in rollerv bearings 32 carried by the supports 33. The shaft is driven by a gear wheel 34 fixed on 1 55 the shaft, in the present instance through a pair through the intermeshingv beveled pinions 4Il from a dnveshaft 42 connected with and driven in timed relation from the drive mechanism of f the body maker.

The hollow head 23 lwhich carries the hollow suction cup supporting post 22 is connected by a tube 43 (Figs. 1, 2, 8 and 9) with a passage 44 formed in the head-carrying` slide 45, which, in turn, is guided in its reciprocatory movements in the gudeways N. The passage 44 communicates through la port 46 with a grooved passage 41 formed in the face of a stationary valve member 63 which is held in position by a bracket plate 49 adjustably mounted on one of the guides 24 by a bolt 5I passing through a slot 52 in the plate.

The plate 43 is provided With shoulders 52 andv 53 engaging the sides of the valve member, and

the valve member is provided with shoulders 54- 1 and 55 engaging the ends of the plate whereby the valve member is securely held in adjusted position against displacement. The cooperating 5 faces of the valve member and the slide 45 are machined or ground to afford a close, air-tight contact which will prevent leakage at the sides and ends .of the passage 41.V

'I'he lowerv end of passage 41 communicates 10l Vthelvalve member 48 urge the valve member into 15 f snug engagement with the surface of the slide Y 45 to insure and maintainthe .air-tight contact.

When the parts are in the position shown in then drawings, vacuum is applied to the suction cups to cause the cups to pick off the lowermost blank from the' magazine. Upon downward movement, the cups carry the blank downwardly and endwise toward the flexing mechanism, as previously explained, and just as the blank is deposited upon thetable 25, the port 46 in the slide 45 passes the stationary port 56, thereby cutting oil the vacuum, and immediately thereafter port 48 is exposed to atmosphereas its lower edge passes the bottom of value member 48 (Fig. 9),

thereby relieving the vacuum on the cupsA so as to 30 free the cups from the blank which may then be fed to the flexing mechanism by a feed device now to be described.

The feed device comprises a feed dog or block' 59 adjustably mounted by a bolt and Aslotconnection 8| upon a slide `62 which is guided in its reciprocatory means by guideways 53. The slide is connected by a link 54 with the arm 55 of a bell crank lever fulcrumed at 56, the other arm 61 of the lever being connected by a link or connecting member 88 with a crank pin 89 carried by the shaft 3|. For convenience in manufacture and assembly, the crank pin is carried by a disk 1I secured by cap screws 12 to a head 13 splined asat 14 to shaft 3I and held against displacement by a disk 15 and'screw 18. The crank 69 is therefore' driven in predetermined timed relation with the crank 29 so that the feed dog is moved to the right viewing Figs. V1 andl 3 immediately upon release of a blank bythe suctioncups. The blank is, therefore, moved by the feed dog into the rolls of the flexing mecha'- nism, and since the blank was deposited by the suction cups in close proximity to the rolls, only a slight movement thereof by the feed dog is necessary. The length of travel of the feed dog` is therefore relatively slight andthe parts are capable of operating at extremely highrspeeds without vibration and with a minimum of wear.

The uprights I1 of the magazine are mounted Je0' upon .front and rear plates 11 and 18 which are fixed upon a shaft 19 journalled in supporting bearings 8| and 82. This construction permits the plates and the partscarried thereby, that is the magazine and the upper ones of the flexing 65 .rollers to be tilted back or swung as a unit in a counter-clockwise direction viewing Fig. 2 to permit access tothe bed, the suction cups and the flexing rollers for purposes of repair or ad'- justment. A manually feleasable latchgor locking device (Figs. 2 and 3) comprising a handle pivoted on the frame and provided with an extension adapted to be swung over a flange of w the magazine serves to lock the unit in its normal operative position, as shownin these figures. 75

It should be apparent from the foregoing that The rear plate 18 carries s.V frame structure 83 in which the yokes 88 and 88 are adjustably mounted. Flexing roll 88 is rotatably carried by yoke 84, and 'roll 81 is rotatably, mounted in yoke 85. The vertical position of both of these yokes and the rolls carried thereby may be regulated by adjustable abutment screws 88.

A lower roll 8| rotatably mounted in the side pieces 'of the frame structure cooperates with roll 10 88. A similar roll 82 mounted in the frame structure cooperates with roll 81. The rolls 81 and 82 are mounted at a little higher level than the rolls 88 and 8| .so that as the blank leaves the latter rolls, it is bent slightly upwardly in order to pass between rolls 81 and v82, as' illustrated in Fig. 5. At the rear of these rolls is mounted a ilnalro1l 88 carried by a yoke 84 which is adjustably mounted by bolts 88 upon the yoke 88 soas to be capable of vertical adjustment. Nor. mally, the roll 88 is adjusted substantially to the position shown in Fig. 1 so that the blank, as it emerges from between rolls 81 and 82, is flexed downwardly beneath the roll 83 and then delivered in a straight line along the table Roll 83 is loosely mounted upon its shaft and is freely rotatable thereon, but rolls 88 and 8| are provided with intermeshing driving gears 88 and 81, the latter of which is driven from a pinion 88 fixed on a shaft 88. At its other end. shaft 88 is `provided with a driving gear-IM similar to gear 88 which meshes with gear |82 on roll 82, which, in turn, meshes -with gear |88 on roll 81 to drive the same. The -four rolls are therefore positively driven at one and the same speed from the gear 88.

Gear 88, in turn, is driven from a gear |84, the hub of which is equipped with a sprocket wheel |88 adapted to bey driven by a drive chain |88 from the driving sprocket wheel |81\flxed 48 on the shaft 88.

The bight of rolls 88 and 8| is disposed in,`I

alignment with the upper face of table 28, and since roll 8| is not adjustable, its upper surface is always substantially tangent to the plane of ,45 the blank which is advanced by the feed dog 58 along the table into the bight of the rolls. As the blank travels through the exing mechanism, it is first bent upwardlyV to enter between rolls 81 and 82, -then downwardly to pass beneath roll 50 88, and iinally is returned to its original plane by engagement with the face of the table 'Ihis manipulation of the blank breaks the grain of the metal and renders the blank sumciently flexible so that a truly round can body without flats 55 will be produced therefrom by the body maker;

In order to insure against injury to the mechanism in the event that a plurality of blanks should accidentally be fed to the rolls, the yoke 88 carrying roll 88 is equipped with spring abut-l 60 ments |88 against with the adjusting screws 88 protrude. 1f more than one blank is fed between the rolls, roll 88 will be forced thereby upwardly against the tension of the spring abutments |88.

This movement of yoke 84 is utilized to stop the machine, and' for this purpose a switch |88 of any preferred construction is'mcunted upon' frame 83, and the operating element thereof is disposed in contiguous relation to a companion 70 element ||2 so that upon upward movement induced by excess blank thickness between the rolls, the switch will be actuated to stop the machine without injury by breaking the driving motor circuit or throwing a clutch, thereby en- 75 abling the error to be rectied.

I have provided a mechanism which issimple in construction, positive and reliable in operation and in which the path of travel of the operating parts is short, thereby enabling the machine to operate at extremely high speeds with minimum vibration and wear. The flexing mechanism is so constructed that the rolls are always properly positioned for reception of the blanks from the feed table, adjustment being provided for in the final exing roll whereby the amount of final iiexure of the blanks may be regulated. In the event of accidental feeding of more than one blank to the flexing mechanism, the machine is promptly stopped, thereby obviating damage or injury to the parts. Y

While I have shown and-described that embodiment of my invention which at present seems preferable, it should be appreciated that the structural details thereof may be modified within considerable limits without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the following claims.

Iclaim:

l. In a mechanism of the' character described, the combination vof a magazine adapted to contain blanks in superposed relation, flexing mechanism located below and at one side of said maga-l zine, reciprocatory suction cups adapted to withried downwardly and horizontally to position one edge thereof in close proximity to said iexing mechanism.

2. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination of a magazine adapted to contain blanks, blank flexing mechanism below and at one side of said magazine, means for withdrawing the blanks in succession downwardly from the bottom of said magazine, and means for causing said last named means to travel in a rectilinear path inclined to the vertical during the downward movement thereof so as to deliver the removed blanks in horizontal position with one edge thereof in proximity to said flexing mechanism. y 3. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination of a magazine adapted .to contain'rblanks, a mechanism located below and laterally of the magazine for operating on said blanks vacuum means for removing the blanks successively from the magazine, means for reciprocating said vacuum means, and an inclined guideway for causing the vacuum means to travel in a path inclined to the vertical to thereby position the removed blanks out of vertical alignment with the magazine and in proximity to said operating mechanism.

4. In a mechanism of vthe character described,

the combination -of a. magazine, a table beneath said magazine, vacuum means for transferring blanks` from the magazine `to said table, means for reciprocating said vacuum means, means for causing the vacuum means to travel in a path inclined to 181e vertical, and means for intermittently applying vacuum to said vacuum means, said last mentioned means including al being s o arranged that uponeach reciprocationl of the slide vacuum will be alternately applied to and released from said vacuum means.

5.v In a mechanism of the character described, the combination 'of a magazine, suction means yfor removing blanks from said magazine, a slidesupporting said suction means, a guide inclined to the vertical in which said slide is reciprocable, a stationary valve cooperable with said slide, springs for urging said valve into sealing engagement with the slide, a source of vacuum connected with the valve, a passage connecting the` valve with said vacuum means, means lfiorireciprocating the slide relatively tothe valve whereby said passage is alternately subjected to atmosphere and to said vacuum through'th'e` valve, and means forioperating uponsblanks'removed by said vacuum means from.; said maga-i all of said rollers. ailnal flexing=roller, means for adjustably supporting the samefin cooperative relation to said first rollers, and means renderedy Y operable to stopthe operation of said mechanism upon the entrance-of a-plurality of blanks -between said. rollers. A i

7. Ina mechanismof the character described, the combination of-,feed mechanism and -ilexing mechanism, said feed mechanism including vacuum means vertically and horizontally movable for positioning blanks in proximity to said exing mechanism, means for advancing said positioned blanks into said mechanism, the flexing mechanism comprising a plurality of pairs of positively driven flexing rolls and a freely rotatable roll adjustable relatively to the driven rolls,- and means operable upon bodily movement of one of said flexing rolls'for stopping 'said mechanism.- e

8. In a mechanism oi the 'character described'. the combination of a machine frame, a unit comprising a magazine vandthe upper rollers of a nexing mechanism Apivotally mounted on said frame so as to be swung from operative position to facilitate access 'to the underlying parts, and means for locking said unit in operative position.

9.- In a mechanism of the ,character described. the combination of a; frame.' construction', feed mechanism carried thereby, a magazine, flexing mechanism, said magazine and a portionof said ilexing'mechanism constituting a unit pivotally mounted upon said frame so as to be movable into inoperative position thereon, and means for lockingl said unit in operative position.

z 10. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame, feed mechanism carried thereby. flexing mechanism comprising cooperating upper andlower rollers, a magazine,

.said magazine and said upper rollers being assembled and connected together to constitute a.k

unit, and means for pivotally supporting said unit upon said frame so as to permit tilting of the unit to aiord access to said feed mechanism and.

said lower rollers.

11. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination of a magazine adapted to contain blanks, a table'beneath the magazine, flex ing mechanism including rolls disposed in horizoutal alignment with said table lat one end thereof but out oi vertical alignment with thel magazine, vacuum meansV for transferring blanks from the magazine onto said table, means for re-v ciprocating said vacuum means, a guideway inclined to the verticak-by vwhich said vacuumV the'combination oi' a blank feeding mechanism Y including means for positioning blanks in prox-v imity to a flexing mechanism and means for advancing said blanks'into said mechanism, exlngg.

oi said yielding means,an electric switch mountedl in proximity to' said yoke, and a member carried by said yoke in position to actuate said switch upon a predetermined separation of said one roll from said companion roll.

f ALLAN M. CAMERON.` Y 

